U.S. scores bronze in women's bobsled

The U.S. women's bobsled team has earned a medal for the third consecutive Olympics, getting a bronze Wednesday night to go with its gold from 2002 and a silver in 2006.

Erin Pac, with brakeman Elana Meyers, drove the USA-2 sled to a third-place finish. They had a four-run total of 3 minutes, 33.40 seconds. Canada won the top two spots: Canada-1 in a time of 3:32.18 and Canada-2 in 3:33.13.

Pac's sled was in second place after the second and third heats. But she lost a spot to Canada-1 in the final heat, in which USA-2 had only the eighth-best time (53.78 seconds) among the 19 sleds. The Canadians were 1-2 in the heat's best times.

Two other U.S. sleds finished fifth and sixth, just .01 seconds apart. USA-3, piloted by Bree Schaaf with brakeman Emily Azevedo, finished with a four-run time of 3:34.05. USA-1, driven by 2006 silver medalist Shauna Rohbock with Michelle Rzepka on the brake, was in at 3:34.06.

Read on for a timeline of the last two heats:

Earlier: The USA-2 entry in the women's Olympic bobsled competition is positioned for a medal as the final heat approaches. After three heats, Canada-1 leads with a combined time of 2 minutes, 39.96 seconds. That is .57 seconds ahead of USA-2, driven by Erin Pac, in second place. Canada-2 is in third, .91 seconds off the lead. The final heat starts at 9:15 p.m. ET. Follow along for updates. For the final heat, the 20 sleds will race in reverse order of their standings, meaning that Canada-1 will run last.

Update, 10:02 p.m. ET: USA-2, driven by Erin Pac, can't push ahead of the third-place Canada-2. But it gets a bronze at worst. One more sled to go. USA-2's time on the final heat was 53.78 seconds for a combined 3.33.40.

Update, 10:00 p.m. ET: USA-2, in second place, is at the start.

Update, 9:53 p.m. ET: Germany-2 crashes in a transition coming out of a turn in mid-run. One of the riders is tossed out of the sled and slides behind the sled, but she is up on the track. Both driver Cathleen Martini and brakeman Romy Logsch are up and ok. They give a wave to the crowd.

Update, 9:51 p.m. ET: Germany-1, fifth going into the final, holds its place and takes the temporary lead. Four sleds left.

Update, 9:46 p.m. ET: USA-3, driven by Bree Schaaf, ranked 7th going into the final, had a run of 53.40 seconds to take the top spot for now.

Update, 9:38 p.m. ET: Ten sleds to go, and those are the leaders. Nail-biting time.

Update, 9:28 p.m. ET: Through the first five starters, the times are slightly faster than the previous heat. And the sled are holding their rankings, except for Russia-2, which ran into some problems and dropped to last place, 3.92 seconds off the lead.

Update, 9:21 p.m. ET: Make that a 19-sled final. After crashing in the first heat, Great Britain-1 is a non-starter in this heat.

Update, 9:16 p.m. ET: The final heat has begun. Ireland-1, piloted by Aolfe Hoey, has completed the run in 54.58 seconds for a four-run total of 3 minutes, 38.40 seconds. The three American sleds will be among the last seven starters in the 20-sled field.

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Earlier: The first of two final heats - Heats 3 and 4 overall - in the Olympic women's bobsled competition has begun. Coupled with two earlier heats, the medals will be awarded this evening after the two races. Follow along with reporter Jeff Zillgitt's Twitter feed from the track.

U.S. Sled No. 2, with Erin Pac and Elana Myers inside, ranked second going into the evening event, and held the position after their run. They trail Canada No. 1 by 57-hundredths of a second.

Update, 8:15 p.m. ET: The last U.S. sled, USA-1, piloted by Shauna Rohbock along with Michelle Rzepka, breaks a tie and moves ahead of USA-3. It's 1.57 seconds behind the leader. Barring any change, the U.S. will have its three sleds in the top 7 for the final heat.

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About Reid and Mike

Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.

He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.

Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.